


Pink Frosting

by Quickspinner



Series: Pink Frosting (Derbynette) [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Aged-Up Character(s), Alix is VP of the support Marinette club, Derbynette, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Luka Couffaine Loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pink People, Post Hawkmoth Defeat, Roller Derby, SO MUCH FLUFF, bring a toothbrush, everyone else means well but you can call it salt if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickspinner/pseuds/Quickspinner
Summary: After Hawkmoth's defeat, Marinette is finding life a little dull without the thrill of being a superhero. Not that shewantsto have to fight for her life on a daily basis, but...surely there's a way she can find alittleharmless excitement without it involving the end of the world, right?Alix has a suggestion, but nobody else seems very excited about their klutzy friend joining a roller derby league.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Alix Kubdel
Series: Pink Frosting (Derbynette) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874257
Comments: 35
Kudos: 413





	Pink Frosting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bloody_no_Kissu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloody_no_Kissu/gifts).



> Bloody_no_Kissu did this [super cute art piece](https://bloody-writes.tumblr.com/post/621239388665511936/sooo-i-really-wanted-to-draw-pinkluka-o-hope) and I loved it so much that I started thinking about how it came to be, so I wrote this quick little fic for fun and giggles. Thanks for sharing your art Bloody!

It wasn’t that she wished anything was different. Marinette was glad Hawkmoth had been defeated, glad that it had happened in such a way that the heroes’ identities stayed secret, and glad that she could go back to having a normal life—normal beyond the box of tiny gods that lived in her room, at least.

She didn’t miss the knowledge that her own life and possibly all of Paris was forfeit if she made a single misstep. She was happy to be done with that part. 

But Marinette did miss the excitement, the rush of battle, the strategy. She missed stretching her body and her mind to their limits. She missed the sense of accomplishment and the camaraderie of her team.

She ran patrols every once in a while, and while the physical exertion felt good, it just...wasn’t the same. Marinette did feel like something was missing from her life now, and when she mentioned it in vague terms to the girls during a hangout in the Liberty’s lounge, that she felt like she needed some excitement in her life, it was surprisingly Alix who piped up with a solution.

“Roller derby?” Marinette repeated slowly, thinking it through. She’d been to some of Alix’s roller derby bouts before. It was a pretty physical sport, but also very tactical, teamwork-oriented...it was perfect! Her face began to light up as she considered it. “You know what, Alix, that might be just what I need!” 

The other girls weren’t so enthusiastic.

“Alix, you can’t be serious,” Alya cried. “This is Marinette we’re talking about. No offense, girl, you know we love you, but you’re the clumsiest girl on the planet. And you want to take up a contact sport? On _roller skates_ ? Alix, are you _trying_ to put her in the hospital?”

Alix rolled her eyes. “She’s only clumsy because her brain goes too fast for her body. She won’t have time to focus on anything but what she’s doing during a bout. And It’s not that bad. We have rules and referees, you know. Not to mention helmets and pads. She might get a little banged up but she’ll be fine. It’s not nearly as violent as people make it out to be.” She paused, and reconsidered. “Well, most of the time.”

"One Marinette Special and she’ll be in traction for the rest of the summer!” Alya shot back, and then everyone started talking at once. Marinette’s shoulders began to droop, little by little, as she listened to her friends argue, citing example after example of her clumsiness and ineptitude. All of them seem convinced that she would only land herself in the hospital, or worse, if she tried this.

All of them except Alix, who simply sat there with an unimpressed look on her face. Finally she rolled her eyes and stood up, shouldering her backpack. She pressed her hand down on Marinette’s shoulder as she passed. “I’ll text you the registration website and the practice times,” was all she said as she walked out of the room. 

Marinette gave her a weak smile and watched her climb the stairs. 

“Man, what’s going on out here?” a voice said, and everybody turned to look at the door to Juleka’s cabin, where Luka stood blinking sleepily in the doorway, guitar case in hand.

“Luka! Did we wake you?” Rose asked, a hand covering her mouth. “We’re sorry!”

Luka just shook his head. “Nah, it’s all good, my alarm was about to go off anyway. I gotta be somewhere in a little bit.” He picked his way across the floor and sat down on the couch by Marinette, his sneakers still dangling from his fingers. “Hey,” he smiled at her, setting the case down. “So what’s up?”

“Oh,” Marinette tugged a pigtail self-consciously. “I was just...thinking about maybe joining Alix’s...roller derby team?”

“Really?” Luka grinned. “That’s awesome. I bet you’ll have a blast. Let me know when you play, I want to come see.”

Marinette’s shoulders lifted slightly. “R-really?”

“Yeah, of course.” Luka nudged her with his shoulder. “I bet you’ll be great at it.” 

“You...know about roller derby?” Marinette asked, blinking.

Luka shook his head, not looking away from her as he propped one leg up on the opposite knee and pulled on a shoe. “No, not really, just what everybody knows. Rough and loud and a lot of knocking people around. Not the kind of thing I would have picked you for, but I can’t imagine you _not_ being amazing at anything you put your mind to, so I’m sure you’ll do great if it’s something you really want.”

“...Yeah.” Marinette smiled. “Thanks, Luka. I can always count on you to believe in me.”

“Of course you can,” he smiled at her, and he blushed lightly when she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“I’m gonna go,” she announced over the sound of the girls’ arguing. “I have some things to do and I want to check out the registration website and see what I would need for equipment. Bye girls!”

“Bye!” they all chorused weakly, Rose waving cheerfully though her smile was worried. 

Luka was staring after her with a dreamy expression as he absently put on his other shoe. Juleka sighed loudly and he jumped. He stood up quickly, and then realized his shoes were on the wrong feet and sat back down, shaking his head at himself and trying not to hear the suppressed giggles around the room. 

“Do you really think you should be encouraging her?” Juleka mumbled, pushing her hair back to look up at her brother. “What if she gets hurt?”

Luka shrugged as he switched his shoes to the correct feet. “What if she does? She’s young and fit, she’ll heal. Not that I _want_ to see her hurt, but if it’s something she really wants to do then hell yeah I’m all for it. Marinette could stand to let loose and blow off some steam, so why not? Alix does it and she seems fine.”

“Marinette is _not_ Alix,” Alya pointed out with a worried frown.

Luka sat up, and looked around, finally taking a moment to read the room now that Marinette was gone. His eyes narrowed just slightly. “You guys are always saying Marinette needs to unwind and not be so tense all the time, and then she finally finds something that sounds fun to her and might give her a chance to really let loose, and you want to stop her? Why, because it’s a little risky?” He snorted. “You’ve gotta take some risks in life and there are _way_ dumber choices than roller derby. Like, say, chasing akumas with a camera?” He looked at Alya, eyebrows raised, and she scowled and flipped him off. Luka just grinned. “You guys worry too much anyway, she’ll be fine.” 

“How can you say that?” Alya demanded, throwing her hands up. 

Luka rolled his eyes as he stood up again and picked up his guitar case. “It’s called having faith in your friend,” he said as he slung it over his shoulder. “Maybe you guys should try it sometime. Marinette’s nowhere near as fragile as you want to believe she is.” He maneuvered his way around them to the stairs and out, leaving the girls silent and staring behind him. 

* * *

Luka hadn’t forgotten the conversation, but it wasn’t at the forefront of his mind when he stopped by to visit Marinette a few weeks later. He found her sitting on her chaise, arranging bits of pink and black fabric, but without any of the enthusiasm he was accustomed to seeing when she was working on a new design. She looked up and smiled when he called her name, but it lacked her usual brightness.

Luka pulled her rolling desk chair over to sit in front of her and took her hands. “Hey, what’s going on? You look really down.” 

“I’m fine,” she protested automatically, but Luka squeezed her hands lightly and she sighed. “I _am_ fine,” she repeated, slumping a little. “Just a bit...I don’t know, sad. I joined the league, you know, the roller derby thing? I’ve been going to practice for a while now and my first real bout’s this weekend and I want to be excited, but everybody’s still acting like I’m going to get myself killed. Even Maman and Papa, they’re trying really hard to be supportive but I can tell they’re worried.” She rolled her eyes. “Papa babbles.”

“Well,” Luka sighed, though he couldn’t help an amused smile at that last bit, and shrugged his shoulders a little. “Parents are just like that, though.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I guess it wouldn’t bother me if it weren’t for the girls. I mean, they’re trying, they’re trying to be encouraging, but sometimes the jokes about ‘I’ll have the first aid kit packed and ready, just in case!’ just get to be a bit much. I don’t feel like anybody really thinks I can do this and it sucks.”

“It does,” Luka agreed sympathetically. “What did Alix say?”

Marinette’s lips quirked up at the corners. “She actually hauled off and yelled at them all a couple of days ago. Said to stop babying me and acting like I can’t walk down the hall without breaking a limb. Reminded them that none of them has actually seen me skate and she has and told them that I’m going to be awesome.” She blushed. “It was really great, actually.”

“Good,” Luka grinned. “Are you enjoying it? Being in the league, I mean? That’s really what’s the most important thing here. Do you like doing it or are you just doing it to prove them wrong?” 

Marinette froze for a moment, and then a sheepish but brilliant smile crept across her face. “Honestly?” she whispered, ducking her head a little. “I’m kind of loving it. It was way harder than I expected at first and I _was_ a bit discouraged...I fell a lot in the beginning and it’s physically demanding. It took some time to build up muscle where I needed it, it’s not the same as—as the other stuff I’ve been doing. I do come home with a lot of bruises. But the trainer, Suzette, she’s been great and she really encouraged me, and Alix of course, and all the other girls on the team too. They all told stories about how much they fell in the beginning and how sore they were and it really helped me stick with it. I can really see that I’m getting better and stronger and it’s such a great feeling!”

“Yeah?” Luka grinned, enjoying her enthusiasm as she warmed to the subject.

She nodded eagerly. “I’ve never—well, not _never_ , but it’s been a while since I was part of a team, and even though there’s a lot of pushing and shoving and it _can_ get kind of rough, everybody’s having fun and nobody’s seriously trying to hurt anyone. It’s...it’s kind of a blast. And the girls are so encouraging and nice even though I’m new and I mess up a lot. They invite me to stuff and I’m making new friends, and not that I don’t love my old friends but it’s so, so nice to meet new people who don’t—” She paused, and bit her lip, deflating a little.

“Who don’t have any preconceived notions of you?” Luka suggested, and she nodded, looking like she felt guilty about it. “Aw, Marinette,” Luka sighed, leaning forward to put one arm around her and pull her into a loose hug. “It’s okay to feel that way.” 

“You always say that,” Marinette mumbled into his shoulder.

“Because it’s always okay to have feelings,” Luka laughed, rubbing his hand in a small circle between her shoulder blades. “You don’t have to feel guilty for every single imperfect thought. Your feelings are valid and they matter and you’re allowed to have them.” It wasn’t the first time he’d told her that and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. “You can love your old friends and enjoy making new friends too. That’s _fine_ , Marinette. That’s _normal_.”

He let her go and leaned back, searching for another subject that would bring back her happy smile. “So, you’re supposed to pick a name, right?” Luka said, letting her hands slide out of his. “Like a pun? Did you come up with something?”

Marinette blushed and ducked her head. “Well, I was thinking...I haven’t exactly decided yet and I was going to run it by the team but...I was thinking about... _Petty Gâteau._ ” 

Luka grinned. “You mean like a cupcake? _Petit gâteau_?” 

Marinette blushed harder and nodded, wrinkling her nose. “Is it dumb?” 

“It’s perfect,” Luka laughed. 

“I thought...I have to wear the team uniform, but that’s fine because it’s black and pink, and I thought I could maybe put my hair in braids with pink ties, and wear candy-colored makeup…” Marinette continued shyly. “And I painted my helmet,” she added, reaching around him to grab it off the desk and show him her signature flowers curving up one side, and tiny white cupcakes with pink frosting painted on the other.

“I love it,” Luka said, taking the helmet and inspecting it. “Roller derby’s got a reputation for being sassy and aggressive and yet you’re bringing your own sweetness into it. I really love it.” He gave the helmet back and Marinette put it back on her desk. “So how do you actually play? I really don’t know much.”

He sat back and listened to her go on about _bouts_ and _jams_ and _jammers_ and _blockers_ , trying to follow but mostly just enjoying how excited she was. By the time she finally wound down, it was time for him to leave, but he was happy to see her enthusiasm restored.

“You’re really going to come to the bout?” Marinette asked, big blue eyes turned up to him as he stood to go. 

“Absolutely. And I won’t have a single bandaid in my pockets, I promise.” He winked, and she laughed, and the sound followed him down the stairs and kept him smiling even as the bakery faded from sight behind him.

She seemed so happy, and he really hated that so many of her friends seemed so stuck on this idea that she was delicate and clumsy when she was one of the toughest people Luka had ever known. Well, he was just going to have to show her that he supported her unconditionally. The sight of a drugstore on the corner as he was waiting to cross at a light hit him with sudden inspiration. He chained up his bike and went inside. 

When he got back to the _Liberty_ , he walked right up to where Juleka was laying on her bed and plucked her chunky headphones off her head. She scowled and looked up at him and he held up a familiar box in a very unfamiliar color. “I need a hand,” Luka told her, grinning. “Get up.” 

Juleka’s eyebrows rose to her hairline.

* * *

Marinette was more irritated than nervous the day of the bout. Her parents were nervous enough for her and then some. She’d tried to explain how rare it was for someone to get seriously injured, to explain the rules (“My little cupcake, pushing and...jabbing and throwing elbows!” “That‘s not allowed, Papa!”), and in a last ditch effort she reminded them that she was seventeen and this was a youth league, but nothing helped. They nodded, they smiled, they praised her and told her how proud they were and how they were sure she would be great, but her father kept wringing his apron and her mother’s voice was an octave higher than usual and finally Marinette just gave up and let them worry, accepting their over-enthusiastic encouragement with a tired smile. 

It was a relief to get to the rink and be welcomed by her team. She and Alix left the warmup briefly to greet their friends when they arrived, and Marinette grit her teeth and smiled through the jokes and the fake smiles and tried to keep the excitement and rush that she’d been feeling up until now. 

Juleka and Luka arrived a little after the others, and when Marinette turned to greet them, her mouth fell open in shock. She forgot for a moment that Juleka—and the others, for that matter—even existed. The only thing she saw was Luka. 

He was...pink. The blue at the tips of his hair was gone and in its place was a lovely spring pink. He wore his usual denim jacket but the hoodie beneath it was pink, too. He reached a self-conscious hand up to ruffle his new hair and she saw a flash of pink on the nail of his ring finger. A cupcake with pink frosting was painted on his cheek. 

Luka smiled and winked at her. “Told you I’d be here.” 

Marinette couldn’t speak. She just threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight and made a little wordless squeak as she buried her face in his shoulder. Luka hugged her back. “I like the braids,” he murmured. “Very cute.” 

“I can’t believe you,” Marinette mumbled into the pink fabric of his hoodie, and he laughed. 

“Surprise?” he said, and his breath maybe hitched a little bit when Marinette looked up and _beamed_ at him. 

“I love it,” she told him. “You look fantastic.” 

“Well,” he said, tossing his head slightly and blowing a pink lock out of his eyes. “It is one of my favorite colors these days.” 

“Marinette,” Alix said behind her, amusement plain in her voice and on her face as she stood with her hands on her hips. “We gotta go.” 

“Right,” Marinette said, pulling away from Luka, though she grabbed his hands and squeezed them tight before she let go. “I’ll see you after. Don’t rush off, okay?” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Luka smiled, hands falling back to his side as she let go of them. He sighed as he watched her go, suddenly noticing how short her shorts were, and wow, she really _had_ put on muscle in her legs, hadn’t she. Juleka jabbed an elbow in his ribs and he became aware of all the eyes on him, including Marinette’s parents. Blushing faintly, Luka cleared his throat and became very interested in his shoes, doing his best to ignore the whispering that suddenly erupted in the little group. He glanced nervously at Mr. Dupain, but the big man only smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. If Mr. Dupain squeezed a little more tightly than Luka was totally comfortable with, Luka was sure it was an accident. 

Marinette didn’t have time to have a meltdown at the sudden change in Luka’s color scheme. It was almost time to start and her teammates were counting on her. A couple of them teased her about her cute boyfriend, and Marinette could only blush and stammer in response, but Alix slapped the back of their helmets and told them not to break Marinette before the bout, so they dropped it quickly, too focused on the task at hand to worry about ribbing her. 

From the moment she stepped onto the rink Marinette could hear her own personal cheering section start up. Her father was always easy to hear, and Sabine could put a surprising amount of power behind her voice as well, and—well aside from Juleka and Myléne none of her friends were what you’d call _quiet_ . But it was Luka’s voice that stood out to her, his powerful musician’s voice, telling her to _tear it up, yeah!_ She might have been overwhelmed if she hadn’t had so much to do. 

When she did fall, stunned momentarily with the wind knocked from her from the impact with both the other player and the ground, all she heard was Luka screaming _Get up, Petty, you can do it, shake it off!_

She did shake it off, and she was grinning even as she wiped away the blood where she had bitten her lip, and got back on the rink. She smirked and winked at Luka as she passed and while she didn’t see the effect it had on him, he was definitely starting to regret the hoodie. Not the color, but wearing it at all, because he was absolutely feeling a bit warm, watching Marinette whirl around the rink, catching hands with Alix to whip her forward before throwing her petite but solid body in front of an opposing team member. 

“She’s...actually good at this,” Alya said at his elbow, and Luka rolled his eyes even as he whooped again as Marinette came around the rink and passed them, arms locked with her teammates to keep the jammer from passing them. 

“Oh ye of little faith,” Luka murmured, grinning stupidly as he watched Marinette circle the rink, a satisfied smirk on her face as the jam ended with her team in the lead. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Alya muttered, and turned to Juleka. “Is he always this insufferable when he’s right?” 

“Oh, he’s not even gotten started,” Juleka grumbled. “Just wait until he’s not distracted by Marinette’s butt in those shorts.” 

Luka pretended not to hear, though he knew the sudden flush gave him away. 

When the bout was over, the group clattered down the bleachers to the floor as Marinette pulled off her helmet and made a beeline straight for them. She didn’t even slow down, she just came barreling in at full speed. Luka didn’t even notice everyone else jump back a startled step, he just grinned and braced his feet and caught her when she leapt into his arms. The impact made him stagger until she wrapped her legs around his waist and he found his balance, and he laughed as he hugged her. “That was fantastic,” he told her, grinning fit to split his face as she ripped off the pads covering her hands behind his back. You made a believer out of everybody here tonight. Y— ” 

Marinette buried her hands in his new pink hair and then her plush pink lips were crushed against his, turning his “You were amazing,” into a strangled, muffled sound of surprise that lasted only a moment before he was kissing her back just as fiercely. 

“They’re dating?” Tom and Rose gasped at the same time, both of them bringing their hands up to their faces to muffle a squeal. 

“Well, look at that,” Alix grinned, leaning on the rail, Marinette’s helmet dangling from her hand. 

“I didn’t know they were dating,” Alya gasped, eyes wide even as she instinctively brought her phone up to get a picture. 

Everyone looked at Juleka. “Me neither,” she shrugged. “Gross.”

“You know,” Sabine said thoughtfully, watching Luka reach back and grope for the railing so he could lower them to a seat on the steps of the bleachers before his suddenly weak knees gave out entirely. “I don’t think Luka knew either.” She looked at Tom, who was practically vibrating with excitement, and sighed, deciding it was more important to get him out of here and calmed down than to find a way to gently remind Marinette of her surroundings. “Come on, dear, let’s go on to the restaurant and let Marinette join us when she’s ready, hmm? I don’t think an audience is really appropriate just now.”

“Do you think he can come for brunch this weekend?” Tom asked as Sabine grabbed his hand and yanked him to the door. “Is he allergic to anything?” he called back to Juleka, who shook her head in bewilderment.

“I think Ms. Cheng has the right idea,” Alya said, a sly grin spreading over her face as she crossed her arms. “Hey lovebirds,” she called, “Meet us at the restaurant, okay?” 

Marinette raised one hand in a thumbs up, and the girls left, giggling and whispering, and Alix rolled her eyes with a grin and went to shower and tell their teammates not to wait for Marinette. 

When Luka and Marinette finally separated, they were largely alone, the last of the spectators trickling out. Marinette licked her cut lip, which she suddenly realized was stinging a little, though it had long since stopped bleeding and she’d cleaned it between jams. “I guess maybe we should, um...talk?” she suggested.

“Do we have to?” Luka said breathlessly, leaning back on his hands, and Marinette looked at him, taking in the pink tips and the pink hoodie, his maybe-more-red-than-pink kiss-bruised lips, the smeared pink cupcake on his cheek, and his eyes, still blue but so soft and adoring that she felt like the two of them were wrapped in a world all their own made of pink clouds and daydreams.

“You know what?” Marinette said, tilting her head slightly. “Maybe we really don’t.” 

Luka’s smile widened and she took his face in her hands and kissed him, softly this time, sweetly, and he melted into it with a contented little moan that had her smiling against his lips. 

Marinette pulled back just enough to ask him, “How long will the pink stay?” She twined the lock at his temple around her finger, staring at the colored tip with a silly smile.

Luka aimed a dopey grin of his own up at her as he slowly straightened. “I don’t know. I’m hoping a nice long time though.” He reached up and cupped her face in his big hands and pulled her gently back down into another kiss, and this time it was Marinette’s turn to melt and moan.

When it was over he sighed and sat back. “You should probably get changed so we can go meet the others.” 

“I suppose,” Marinette sighed, blushing as she realized she’d been straddling his lap all this time. Oh God, in front of her parents, too. They were going to have a lot of explaining to do and she was _definitely_ in for a very embarrassing Talk about what was and was not appropriate in public. She met Luka’s gaze and knew he was following her thoughts.

“Juleka’s gonna give me shit about this for weeks,” he commented, but the broad grin across his face suggested he didn’t care in the least. 

Marinette got herself off of him and back onto her skates, and headed off to the locker room (she was blushing brightly by the time she got there, but also extremely pleased, because she’d looked back to wave at Luka and caught him ogling her shamelessly as she skated away). She showered quickly and changed into the dress she’d brought, a ruffled off-the-shoulder babydoll in pink. She quickly took her braids out and pinned her hair up into two messy buns. A little makeup largely covered the tiny cut on her lip, and then she grabbed her bag and went to meet Luka. 

He was waiting for her near the entrance, the ends of his hair a little damp from where he’d splashed cold water in his face in the men’s room on the pretext of scrubbing away his ruined face paint. She looked sugary sweet in that dress, not at all like the little dynamo who’d been so ready to throw her weight around during the bout, and it just made his heart swell a little bit more at how amazing she was. His hand was reaching out to take hers before he’d even consciously thought about it, and they walked towards the metro together without saying anything. As they paused to wait for the light at the crosswalk, she smiled at him and he smiled down at her, and he let go of her hand to throw his arm around her bare shoulders, tucking her close against his side. Luka sighed, leaning his head on hers and letting his eyes close for a moment. 

Yeah, if he had anything to say about it, pink was going to be part of his life for a very, very long time.


End file.
